Here are my quick tips for cleaning and hanging up a last-minute hummingbird feeder.

4:1

The feeder solution ratio is 4 parts water, to 1 part sugar (no dye needed). So if you have 1 cup of water, that’s 1/4 cup of sugar. With most regular sized feeders, this should be enough. Also, because there aren’t many hummers using the feeder, you’ll waste less water and sugar this way.

I heat the water with the added sugar for 30 seconds. Just enough to help dissolve the sugar. Then, I fill the feeder. Done!

Clean Your Feeder

Clean your feeder every 4 days. Set yourself a reminder, easy peasy. An old (but cleaned) toothbrush and/or a bottle brush works great for scrubbing. Dish soap + some hot water, scrub-a-dub-dub, and you’re good to go.

Scrub all of the nooks and crannies, anywhere that sugar-water might get to, and scrub the inside of the feeder. Clean it like you’re going to drink out of it.

Fill up your feeder with the solution recipe mentioned above and you’re done!